Cawley, W. O.

Creger, C. R.

Krueger, W. F.

Marquez, B. J.

Terry, R. J.

English

Texas A&amp;M Repository

7-~(P-7f)frJdR-!~rnHID ~DlTlA\OO ~ ~IT(ill ~ [ffi (ill [ill [ll)~ ITD(ill~L·963KEYS TO PROFITABLECOMMERCIAL TURKEY PRODUCTIONW. O. Cawley, R. J. Terry, W. F. Krueger, B. J. Marquez and C. R. Creger*In 1977, Texas ranked seventh among the stateswith an estimated 8.6 million (6.3 percent) of the135.6 million turkeys produced in the United States.Turkey production has concentrated into large flocksand most turkey producers have a growing contractwith an integrated turkey firm. A good turkey pro-ducer can raise a flock of 40,000 turkeys with the useof mechanical feeding and watering equipment. Hewill need supplemental help for cleaning the houses,Growth Standard ChartTURKEY GROWTH STANDARDSIS301510• 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 1. 17 1. 1. 20 21 22 23 24 25 28WEEKSAdept"': From Turtle, World, .len..." 11".*Respectively, Extension poultry specialist and Extension poultryveterinarian; Professor and Head, Department of Poultry Sci-ence; Assistant Professor, Department of Poultry Science; andProfessor, Department of Poultry Science, Texas AgriculturalExperiment Station, The Texas A&M University System.placing birds on the range, vaccination, debeaking,emergencies and relief.After 8 weeks in a brooder house, most Texas tur-keys are grown on range. However, there is increasedinterest in growing turkeys through the winter in con-finement housing.The genetics and nutrition of turkeys enable 14-pound hens to be marketed at 17 weeks of age on 40pounds of feed. Twenty-seven pound toms are mar-keted at 21 weeks of age on 81 pounds of feed. Goodoperations will match or exceed these performancelevels.Keys• Fundamental to a successful health program are"all in-all out" quarantine and isolation of the flock.Keep each flock ofone age and from one source. Donot permit other poultry on the premises. Healthproblems occur when basic management, sanita-tion and disease control procedures are disre-garded.• Start with sexed poults which are free frompullorum-typhoid and Mycoplasma galliseptieum(Mg) and which come from breeder flocks ofprovengenetic ability from a hatchery that provideshealthy poults and good service. Raise the sexedpoults separately. For a fee, the hatchery will de-snood the males for protection against erysipelasdisease.• Completely clean the brooder house prior to eachnew group of poults. Scrub, repair and disinfect allequipment - brooders, waterers, feeders andrange facilities. Remove all rubbish from house,such as sacks, paper, buckets and tools.Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The Texas A&M University System. Daniel C. Pfannstiel, Director. College Station• Use a good rodent control program, both inside andoutside building.• Apply an approved insecticide to building interiorswhere parasites have been a problem.• Cover the brooder house floor with clean, freshlitter at least 3 inches deep. Wood shavings andrice hulls are commonly used. Avoid moldy ormusty litter to prevent aspergillosis (mold growthin the respiratory tract). If diesel oil has beensprayed on the brooder house floor, be sure allfumes have evaporated before litter is added.• Fill feeders and waterers. Distribute poultspromptly around each brooder. Ifleft undisturbed,poults quickly settle and are off to a good start.Avoid loud talking which distracts poults during thefirst few days. Poults are attracted to any sound andmay pile, causing some to smother. Observe poults'behavior to determine adjustments needed fortheir comfort. Poults should be placed on feed assoon as possible after hatching.• Feed trough recommendations (two-thirds as muchwith tube feeders):PROTEIN LEVELS OF FEEDFOR MARKET TURKEYS• Keep turkeys on full feed from the first day to mar-ket. Feed complete rations which meet nutrientneeds of fast growing turkeys.If males and females have not been grownapart, separate hens and toms by 14 weeks of age topermit feeding rations best suited to their differinggrowth rates.The following table shows the decline in proteinrequirements as the turkeys grow:See L-595 - Feeding Growing TurkeysTo get all poults to eat, fill feeders to overflow-ing and place feeder lids at ground level the firstweek. Then gradually reduce feed level in thefeeders to 2 inches below the lip to prevent wasteby "billing." Pick up feeder lids when poult guardis removed. As the birds grow, elevate feeder lip tothe turkeys' shoulder height. This prevents feedwaste and keeps litter out. Keep feed troughs leveland be sure feeders have at least 1 inch of lip toprevent the turkeys from billing feed out oftroughs. Feed represents about two-thirds of theProtein Level- PercentMales Females3028242015Depth offeeder(inches)245 ormore5 or more28-302824201815Feed spaceper bird(inches)1111Age - Weeks0-3 - Prestarter (2 lb.per poult)4-8 - Starter9-12 - Grower13-16 - Grower17-20 - Grower21-market - GrowerAgeThrough 2 weeks3 through 6 weeks8 weeks to market12 weeks to marketCover litter inside the brooder with rough sur-faced paper such as crinkled kraft paper for firmfooting and to prevent young poults from consum-ing litter before they develop good eating habits.Remove the litter cover as soon as the poults are onfeed, at least by the end of the first week. Thisprevents moisture accumulation which, along withthe heat from the brooder, provides a favorableenvironment for mold growth. If rough paper is notused, the litter may be packed or rolled around thebrooder, making a relatively firm surface for thepoults. Never use newspaper.• Provide 1¥2 square feet of floor space per malepoult and 1 square foot per female in the brooderhouse to 8 weeks of age. If turkeys are to be grownin confinement housing, provide 3 square feet perturkey hen and 5 square feet per tom. This will be 1square foot of floor space for each 5 pounds of tur-key marketed.• Gas, oil or electric brooders must have sufficientheating capacity to maintain comfortable tempera-ture in the coldest weather. Start 300 or less poultsper hover. Allow 13 square inches of space perpoult under hover-type brooders. Solid guard ringsplaced 4 feet from the hover keep poults from stray-ing. After a week, they can be removed or enlargedand retained for a second week in extremely coldweather. When the minimum room temperature isabove 70° F., use wire guard rings.• Before the poults arrive, prepare the brooderhouse. Light brooders and regulate to temperaturerecommended by the manufacturer. Check andregulate the thermostat to operate within a range of5° F. or less. Reduce the temperature 2 degreesevery 3 days until 70° F. is reached and poults arewell feathered.• Bulk bins and mechanical feeders provide substan-tial savings in labor. Operate according to manufac-turer's instructions. Provide enough bulk storagespace to hold feed needed by the flock. Drain andclean each bulk tank every 2 weeks. Brush insidewalls and clean out caked feed stuck to sides orcorners.cost of producing turkeys and cannot be wasted ifprofits are to be made. A commonly used figure toevaluate good management is "pounds of feed perpound of gain." During summer weather, placefeeders and waterers in shade to encourage con-sumption. Install range sprinkler system in areas oflow humidity.• On range provide 1 acre for each 250-400 turkeys.This will vary with terrain, soil type and rainfall.Turkey range requires natural drainage and a loose,sandy-type soil. Where there is insufficient naturalshade, provide 3 square feet per turkey. Moverange equipment as often as needed. Confine tur-keys to the range with a portable poultry fencehung outside the posts. This will also protectagainst predators.Use range feeders with 300- to 500-poundcapacity. Number each feeder for identity. Letone-fourth of the feeders run completely emptyeach week to clean up thp, fines which sift out.• Water trough recommendations:carry. External parasites such as blue bugs, chig-gers and lice cause severe loss to the turkey cropeach year. Early flocks ranged on heavy-type soilsmust be particularly cautious of chigger infesta-tions. Examine some birds each week to determinewhether they are free of parasites. If external para-sites are found, treat the bird and premises as out-lined in MP-69I - Texas Guide for ControllingExternal Parasites of Livestock and Poultry andB-I088 - External Parasites of Poultry.A sudden decline in feed consumption indicatesthe need for a quick check of the flock's health. Geta qualified diagnosis. Debeaking helps controlfeather picking and cannibalism. Remove and killobvious culls. Use an incinerator for dead birds.• Turkey house ventilation requires constant atten-tion. During hot weather use any breeze to facili-tate cooling the turkeys. During cooler weather,adjust wall openings to allow enough air movementto keep litter dry and at the same time avoid exces-sive drafts which will chill young poults. Duringquick weather changes, promptly make correctiveadjustments of ventilation curtains, panels andwindows.Keep it Clean!• Livability of 94 percent or better and good healthare required for profitable results. Raise each flockin complete isolation to avoid exposure to infectionsand infestations that other turkeys or poultry mayFor the first 10 days, supply water in 1 gallon,wide-base fountains; provide two fountains per 100poults. Add mechanical water troughs whenbrooder guards are removed. Move fountainsgradually toward troughs and remove them aspoults learn to use troughs. Five 8-foot mechanicalwaterers per 1,000 turkeys are recommended.Day-old poults may be started on mechanical watertroughs if troughs are lowered and leveled so thepoults have easy access to the water. However, thisis a dangerous practice during winter months aswater lines may freeze and poults will be withoutwater.AgeThrough 2 weeks3 through 6 weeks8 weeks to marketWater space perbird (inches)1/32/31• Provide turkey poults 14 hours of light a day duringthe brooding period. Supplement daylight withelectric lights as needed. Continue this lightschedule to market time on turkeys grown in a con-finement house. Use 60-watt bulbs spaced 14 feetapart 7 feet above the floor. During the first 2weeks a ISO-watt bulb placed over each brooderwill help prevent "starve-outs" and get poultsstarted with good eating and drinking habits.• When catching and loading turkeys for processing,handle each bird with care to prevent bruises.Rough handling can cause downgrading in process-ing which can reduce or eliminate profits. Whenthis occurs everyone loses - the grower, processorand consumer.• Problem Areas:Be sure there are no areas of concentrated sun-light. Poults may be attracted to the bright area andpiling or cannibalism may begin.Sickly looking birds should be removed. Deadbirds should be removed and disposed of daily,preferably by incineration.Wet spots and caked litter around feeders andwaterers should be removed as they occur and re-placed with clean, dry litter.• Weekly check list:Weeks0 1 2 3~emperature 95 90 85 80feedTrough level Full 2/3 full 1/2 full 1/3 fullEgg flats Use for first5 daysFeeder Add more Raise to levelfeeders of bird's backWater Use founts Begin removing Use automaticfounts watererMiscellaneousCrinkle paper Remove at3-5 daysBrooder guard RemoveLights Bright lights Bright lights Bright lights Dim lights(lO-watt bulb)Debeaking Debeak at3-5 weeksEducational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socio-economiclevel, race, color, sex, religion or national origin.Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, The Texas A&M University System and the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, andJune 30, 1914. .1M-6-78, Revised PS 5

Keys to Profitable Commercial Turkey Production.

https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/1969.1/169387/1/Leaf0963.pdf

Keys to Profitable Commercial Turkey Production.

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Keys to Profitable Commercial Turkey Production.

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Texas A&amp;M Repository

Texas A&M Repository